Russ Huesman doesn't waste much time. Whether it's at football practice or during a friendly round on the golf course, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach goes about his business quickly and efficiently.

Playing golf, something he's done a lot of since the end of spring practice, Huesman isn't much for long warm-up sessions on the driving range or putting green.

"I just want to get out there and play," he said.

Of course, there are drawbacks to not being warmed up when you step on the first tee, like a dead right tee shot at the start of a round this spring. It would have drilled a woman standing nearby if he hadn't advised her moments before to move.

Huesman, who played football and baseball at UTC, has a compact swing, and the miscue on the first tee was the only truly errant swing in the round.

Like most football coaches, Huesman is consumed by his job most of the year. But there's a window, from May through the middle of July, when there's time to relax and time to enjoy other things. Ideally, there's more family time during that break, but Huesman's family is still in Richmond, Va. -- he's visiting them this week -- because they haven't yet sold their house. Meanwhile, he's renting a place in Soddy-Daisy until they join him here.

With his family back in Richmond, Huesman has been living like he did as a bachelor, which this spring has meant that he's had more free time than he's used to. And that's allowed for more time on the golf course.

"This is the only time of year I'll play," he said. "I'll put the clubs away a week or so before camp starts in August, and I won't touch them again until after spring practice."

Huesman has played golf for many years, and one reason he likes it so much is because it takes his mind off his job.

"When I go out there, I don't ever think about football. Never," he said. "I'm able to just focus on each shot and have a good time with the people I'm playing with. I don't think that happens anywhere else except the golf course."

Earlier this month, Huesman and his 16-year-old son Jacob, who was in town visiting, were part of a foursome at Moccasin Bend. The scores in the quartet ranged from 80 to 87, with Huesman shooting an 82 on the 6,469-yard course that has few trouble spots and is quite forgiving of wayward shots.

While waiting on the group in front of him to clear the fairway, Huesman talked about one of his favorite golf experiences, which happened while he was a student at UTC. He and a friend from Augusta, Ga., got tickets to the final round of the 1982 Masters tournament, won by Craig Stadler on the first hole of a playoff.

"Stadler had a big lead that day (six strokes), but he struggled on the back nine and wound up tied with Dan Pohl. We were back near the tee at No. 18 and we watched Stadler finish and immediately took off running to the 10th hole, the first playoff hole," Huesman said, smiling at the memory. "It's a good thing we were in good shape because we were able to sprint all the way there and get a spot right behind the 10th green, and we watched Stadler make a putt for par to win it."

Huesman has never played Augusta National, but back when he was an assistant to Tommy West at the University of Memphis, the two of them spent a memorable weekend playing a pair of past U.S. Open courses: Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y., and Baltusrol in Springfield, N.J.

"For some reason we decided to play from the back tees, the tournament tees, at Shinnecock, and they were so far back on some holes that we couldn't carry the fescue (rough) with our drives," he said. "I'd stand there and the caddie would say you've got to carry it so-and-so to get to the fairway, and I'd say I can't hit the ball that far.

"That was probably the toughest round I've ever played."

The recent round at Moccasin Bend was nowhere near as taxing. Both he and his son hit their share of good shots and the subject of football never really came up until after the round in the clubhouse. Just the way Huesman likes it.